Introduction
From the first time that the Hippocratic Oath was used among Greek physicians practice Hippocratic Medicine, it was clear that life, including that of the unborn child (fetus) deserved protection in medicine. The paragraph four of the Oath stated: “I will not give a lethal drug to anyone if I am asked, nor will I advise such a plan, and similarly to give a pessary to cause an abortion” (North, 2002). Centuries later, many nations adopted their abortion laws, at times forcing their physicians to perform abortion as a treatment procedure of a ‘disease’ called ‘pregnancy.’ Some states or nations even ventured at specifying the biomedical boundaries to exercise such ‘treatment.’ One such biomedical boundary is genetic defect.
In
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Then, I will also anticipate the potential refutation of the abortion proponents to my arguments.
Arguments for abortion
Despite assurances, the risk for fetal defects due to chromosomal aberration remains, physically (tallness, low fertility, infertility, and breast enlargement), mentally (potential manic-depressive problems), and behaviorally (tendency towards behavioral disorders). Purdy (1995) argued that every child should be provided with at least a minimally satisfying life, and genetic defect and its physical, mental and behavioral consequences cannot provide that level of satisfying life. Otherwise, the child will be socially outcast among the “defectives,” she will feel unloved, feels resentment for the short end that her birth had given her. The mother also will blame herself for giving birth to her, watching her suffer from such burdensome conditions. Her descendants too will be burdened with her genetic defects and the resultant woes. Purdy (1995) also insisted that, until there are assurances and certainties that the risks are not going to happen, it is the moral duty of the mother to not bring defective babies into the world, and burden the society for their care.
Lippman (1991) noted that people do not believe society has an obligation to adjust their lives to the comfort of disabled people. The society has the right for public health, which can only be achieved through a reduction if not elimination to the birth frequency of children with genetic
One of the most frequently debated topics in bioethics is the morality of abortion, or the ending of a pregnancy without physically giving birth to an infant. Often times abortions are categorized into either spontaneous, a natural miscarriage; induced or intentional, which is premeditated and for any reason; or therapeutic, which albeit intentional, its sole purpose is to save the mother’s life. It seems however that moral conflicts on issue mainly arise when discussing induced abortions. In general, people universally agree it is morally wrong to kill an innocent person and in some people’s eyes induced abortions are the intentional killings of innocent persons, thus making them immoral. However not all individuals view fetuses as persons and consequentially argue it is not morally wrong to kill them.
To protect the parenting rights of disabled individuals, the systemic and legal barriers restricting them must be removed, as it is clear that many face undue discrimination in the child welfare system. These restrictions also include those witnessed by disabled people attempting to pursue assistive reproductive technology because they cannot or do not wish to bear biological children on their own. The same eugenic beliefs that led health care professionals to the widespread use of sterilization for women with disabilities now leads to diminished access to reproductive
Abortion, the termination of pregnancy before the fetus is capable of independent life, has been practiced since ancient times. With records dating to 1550 BC, it’s no question that abortion techniques have been used throughout the ages as an effective form of birth control. Pregnancies were terminated through a number of methods, including the use of herbs, sharpened instruments, the application of abdominal pressure, and other techniques. In the 19th century, the English Parliament and the American state legislatures prohibited induced abortion to protect women from surgical procedures that were deemed unsafe. However, in 1973, abortion was legalized as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court rule in Roe v. Wade. This ruling made it possible
A moral justification for genetic treatment is only as accurate as the justification of disease. In the realms of objective science and the use of genetic testing, Kitcher argues that the basis for terminating a pregnancy due to a severe syndrome can also lead to the basis for termination due to an undesired sex or possibly even homosexuality. Ultimately, Kitcher supports only a minimalist approach to the use of
Throughout the history of medicine there has always been a need for shared commitment to ideals of moral, ethical and humane practice. The Hippocratic Oath, created by a compilation of works largely based on Hippocrates, has always stood as guidelines for the conduct of physicians. The Classical oath has and continues to serve well in preserving the sanctity of the medical profession while developing a basis for the respectful treatment of patients. However, this out-dated oath is not equipped to handle the modern trials and tribulations faced by physicians and health care in general. Many of its principles are simply unrealistic and inapplicable in today’s society. For this reason a revised version of the oath was written. As I will
In the article “The Hippocratic Oath of the Manger: Good or Bad Idea? ” Sean Jasso suggests that a manager is not necessary requires a professional license to practice management neither takes oaths. However, he believes that it is normal for medical doctors, lawyers, and CPAs to take the oath. The idea about whether the Hippocratic oath of manager is good or bad still stay controversial because some believe that having a professional license to practice management will minimize the failure in business. On the other side, some believes that as long as manager produce effective result within the rule of law then oath is irrelevant or not helpful. For example, Harvard Business School Scholars takes the “MBA Oath”, which was inspired by the professor Rakesh Khurana and Nitin Nohria. The example of Harvard School of Business shows readers that the business crisis could be prevent or improve by turning management to a profession like law and medicine because these professions have to take oath: not to do harm to the society and people. Although Rakesh Khurana and Nitin Nohria’s ideas of “MBA Oath” is noble, Jasso believes that it is not realistic in our society.
The Hippocratic Oath, is “First, do no harm”. Being a doctor is a profession solely dedicated to helping others, but what about when helping hurts? Often times the doctor doesn’t fully understand the patient due to a language or cultural barrier. A misunderstanding between the doctor and the patient can cause the patient to mistrust and discount everything the doctor says. The only thing worse than a noncompliant patient is a seemingly compliant patient. Although the western medical system has proven to be effective in its precision and accuracy, it is only as effective as the patients that make up the system.
What makes us who we are? What makes our history, religion, and our literature? What about our philosophy, science and our art? All of this is are the humanities. The humanities studies every aspect of the human experience all the way from the beginning of time. It is such an open and vast topic, that I will mostly focus on the medical part of the humanities, because that is where my field of study is. The medical field goes all the way back to the Hippocratic Oath which was written in the early 5th century BC. There were also many people that helped push the medical advancements along like Leonardo Da Vinci, Herophilus, and Erasistratus. Leonardo Da Vinci studied anatomy and drew diagrams of the human body that never had been seen before. Herophilus and Erasistratus studied neuroscience and the study of the human brain. Herophilus discovered the difference between sensory and motor nerves, and Erasistratus theories contradicted those of Herophilus. I will also discuss the responsibilities of a learner, and what learners should do to help themselves and our society.
Purdy argues that based on purely moral grounds, not what she proposes as legal grounds, should potential parents be obligated to not conceive if they have the risk for any range of genetic diseases, including HD. There may be many different congenital afflictions that can be avoided now based on advancements in the field of genetics that should not dictate the parent’s right to conceive. In this oppositional argument, the only factor that should be considered when conceiving a child should be the parents and their own decisions, and if their choice lends way to such congenital afflictions, that should only be pinned on the natural outcome, and nothing else. In addition, by the arguments used by Purdy herself, she claims that abortion is not murder because the gestating baby has no human status yet, and therefore has no rights to their own decisions. Thus, the parent who conceives a defective child, whether they know of the defect or not, have rights to decide whether to carry the baby to term or not, as it is not the decision of the baby, but the parent who is carrying the
There are several issues that arise when it comes to the development in medical ethics whilst also maintaining religious principles and ethical values. The development of medical knowledge has allowed for humans to practice different ways in helping society. But these new discoveries have found to clash with religious principles and ethical values. This can be related to the topic of abortion as it goes against monotheistic religious teachings.
The birth of a child is supposed to be a time of joy, the uncertainty of life leads to this one point in time. Will she or he be the next president, a star athlete, a genius or just fall into the crowd as another citizen. With recent advancements in science, this uncertainty has become a thing of the past. The human being is now seen as a commodity and no more is valued in the uncertainty of individuality. The parent can now choose how they want their child to come out or develop into. Sandel’s book The Case Against Perfection: Ethics in the Case of Modern Eugenics is a well researched look into examples of modern eugenics and the problems that arise from it. These topics range from the ethics of cloning, athletes using performance enhancing drugs, and other practical uses in everyday life. Sandel’s argument is that there is value in human nature (even with all its flaws), and genetic engineering will forever change human nature. Destroying the very essence of what it is to be human and scarring humanity. The main features of human nature that will be altered: are responsibility, humility and solidarity.
If we assume people will one day have the ability to manipulate the human genome so that a fetus would be born without mental disorders [this list includes]: depression, developmental disabilities, ADD (attention deficit disorder), etc., we have to consider if this corresponds to what we know about its moral and ethical outcomes (Notaro, 2012, p. 1).
In The Future of Human Nature, Jurgen Habermas is alarmed that human nature is under attack by the advancements in biotechnology. The fairly recent possibility to alter the genetic code of an embryo, puts concept of human nature under the threat of extinction, and in one way or another, fails to recognize the embryo as a moral agent in society and undermines the moral equality, which we are obliged to hold. In addition, there are exceptions in his mind that would see pre-birth genetic intervention as morally acceptable. When genetic intervention is used to prevent a serious illness or disability of a future individual, consent is assumed due to the fact that, no person could reject this prevention, however an individual can in fact deny an enhancement.
The Hippocratic Oath and Engineering code of ethics have both been regarded as the standard for medical and engineering professionals to conduct themselves morally, and professionally to assure that the decisions and activities made are guided by certain principles and values. (Hendon and French, 2016) Both the Hippocratic Oath and Engineering code of ethics emphasize the importance of the duties and responsibilities of professionals in regards to the safety and health of humans, providing services within areas of expertise, being truthful, hold confidential information, and being accountable for professional services provided.
Abortion is the medical procedure when it is induced on purpose to extract the fetus from the uterus. When abortion occurs without purpose, it is usually referred to as miscarriage; such instance causes psychological problems in a woman and affects her perception of the fetus. The number of moral and ethical considerations on the problem of abortions can be considered from a variety of perspectives that include economic, medical, social, and religious aspects of the phenomenon. Many case studies are based on the need to make a choice, especially when talking about professional duties of doctors and such medical practices, as Hippocratic Oath. The controversy occurs every time some people cannot accept the right of the woman to have an